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After the negotiations were paused, Lu Chen briefly discussed some recent affairs of the North Country with its officials before ending the brief court session.

Just as Lu Chen had expected, hardly had he returned to the Prince's Mansion when a guard came looking for him, reporting that Prince Wu Ming requested a private audience.

Naturally, Lu Chen knew the reason Prince Wu Ming wished to see him, so he directed someone to bring Wu Ming to his study.

Once Wu Ming entered the study, Lu Chen greeted him with a smile, "Prince Wu Ming, please take a seat."

As the words left his mouth, Lu Chen moved to the area of the study reserved for rest and tea drinking, and Wu Ming promptly sat down at the tea table as well.

At this time, Lu Chen addressed the maid at the door of the study, "Xiao Qin, brew the tea."

Having said this, Lu Chen's gaze fell upon Wu Ming, and with a smile, he asked, "May I inquire what matter brings Prince Wu Ming to seek a private audience with me?"

Wu Ming spoke directly, "I want to ask the North Prince if he truly intends to have me remain in the North Country as a hostage."

Earlier, in the Hall of Political Affairs, Wu Ming had referred to himself as "this prince," but now, in front of Lu Chen, he was simply using "I," markedly lowering his stance.

Hearing Wu Ming's tone, Lu Chen chuckled softly, then replied, "Prince Wu Ming holds significant influence in Great Wu and is one of the contenders for the Crown Prince. When choosing a hostage, naturally, one must select someone important to Great Wu."

"In my view, you are the most suitable."

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming quickly responded, "The North Prince flatters me too much. Although there are some ministers in Great Wu's court who support me, compared to Prince Lu Yi, I'm truly insignificant."

"My imperial father sent me here to the North Country; it's clear he doesn't wish to tarnish Prince Lu Yi's reputation, proving that he is the most important in my imperial father's heart."

"If the North Prince wishes to select a prince as a hostage, it ought to be Prince Lu Yi. If I were chosen, I fear I would not effectively serve the purpose of a hostage."

Lu Chen pondered for a moment and then said, "Oh? Is that so?"

"But then again, if I were to choose Prince Lu Yi as a hostage, the Martial Emperor likely wouldn't agree, would he?"

"After all, you've said that he is the most important in your imperial father's heart."

When Wu Ming heard Lu Chen's response, he was slightly taken aback.

"This…"

After collecting his thoughts, Wu Ming stated, "Given that the North Country's army is at our borders, I believe my imperial father would agree to any conditions you, North Prince, propose."

Lu Chen then inquired, "Does that mean your imperial father would also agree to the trade agreement?"

Wu Ming was momentarily confused; what did this have to do with the trade agreement? Weren't they discussing the issue of the hostage?

While Wu Ming was muddled, he suddenly realized the connection.

Subsequently, Wu Ming suggested, "If the North Prince chooses another prince as a hostage, I believe my imperial father would definitely agree to the trade agreement proposed by the North Country."

Wu Ming didn't know what impact the trade agreement might have on Great Wu.

However, representatives from the Great Wu delegation had reminded him that, in the current negotiation terms, the trade agreement proposed by the North Country appeared less obviously harmful than a loss of territory or financial indemnity, but its hazards were considerably greater, and it was very likely that the Martial Emperor would not consent.

No wonder when they first came to the North Country, the newspapers had announced that Princess Junwan would be the hostage, only for there to be a sudden change to him, Prince Wu Ming. It turned out the North Prince wanted to leverage his power to gain his imperial father's approval for the trade agreement.

It was essentially a trade— if the trade agreement failed to pass, then he could likely be the hostage; if the trade agreement was ratified, another person would serve as the hostage.

After hearing Wu Ming's answer, Lu Chen picked up his tea cup, took a gentle sip, and then stated, "If Prince Wu Ming can persuade the Martial Emperor to agree to the trade agreement, then I shall choose your Princess Junwan as the hostage. However, if Prince Wu Ming is unsuccessful, then please remain in the North Country."

Wu Ming immediately said, "North Prince can rest assured, I will definitely persuade Great Wu's entire court and my father, the Martial Emperor."

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Then I will wait for the good news from Prince Wu Ming. I hope Prince Wu Ming can act quickly, after all, the families of North Country's soldiers are still waiting for their pension."

Wu Ming then said, "Please give me one more month, North Prince. After one month, I will definitely give you a satisfactory response."

Lu Chen said with a smile, "Alright, I will give Prince Wu Ming one more month's time. I hope Prince Wu Ming does not make me wait in vain for a month."

Wu Ming said with a sycophantic smile, "Of course."

"If the North Prince has no other matters, I will take my leave for today."

Having said that, Wu Ming got up directly from his chair, and Lu Chen also immediately stood up and said, "Alright, Prince Wu Ming, please take your time. I will not see you out."

Without any further ado, Wu Ming stood up and left.

...

Several days later.

In the Great Wu court.

When the commercial treaty proposed by North Country was relayed back to Great Wu, it instantly caused a stir in the Great Wu court.

Though most of the ministers in the Great Wu court were typically inactive, they were not fools.

Being the cunning veterans that they were in political circles, the ministers immediately saw through North Country's intent. North Country was asking Great Wu not only to fully open all markets but even to conduct trades using North Country's currency.

What a joke, to use North Country's currency! Imagine if North Country goods flooded in en masse, 후---d merchants would then need to use North Country currency to buy North Country goods. Should the volume of goods increase, people might likely abandon Great Wu's currency in favor of North Country's.

At this point, Chai Jiliang stood up and spoke, "Your Majesty, Great Wu must not agree to this condition from North Country. Although North Country has not yet issued its own currency, their proposal of this treaty proves that they will release new currency before long."

"Once North Country's goods and currency flood into Great Wu, it will be rare for people to use the currency issued by Great Wu."

Chai Jiliang, now reinstated to his former office, had once again become Great Wu's Prime Minister. The main reason Martial Emperor reinstated him was to stabilize Wu Junwan.

The Martial Emperor needed Wu Junwan to infiltrate North Country, and to raise her morale, he had to show her a glimmer of hope.

The Martial Emperor knew his daughter was intelligent; if her faction ministers were removed and she lost her voice in the court, she might suspect he was leading her on with false promises.

Therefore, he immediately reinstated Chai Jiliang, an important figure from Wu Junwan's faction, to his former office.

As Chai Jiliang's speech concluded, another minister stood up and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the North Prince harbors ulterior motives. This treaty will harm Great Wu's long-term interests and must not be agreed upon."

Subsequently, a succession of ministers stood up to oppose the commercial treaty proposed by North Country.

After the opposing ministers' voices had somewhat subsided, Martial Emperor scanned the great hall's ministers and then spoke, "Does any other minister have a different opinion?"

As Martial Emperor's words fell, a minister from Prince Wu Ming's faction stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I believe Mr. Chai's statement is completely unfounded. In my opinion, this commercial treaty will not harm Great Wu but is actually beneficial."

"I believe everyone present here has used some products from North Country. Take white paper, for example. With white paper, Great Wu will no longer need to use bamboo slips and animal skins."

As the minister finished speaking, the ministers from Prince Wu Ming's faction, as if on cue, stood up and expressed their support for the trade agreement, claiming that North Country's currency would not pose any harm to Great Wu.